Our bus arrived astoundingly early yesterday, at 1:25 rather than 2:00. The driver must have thought he was due at 1:00. We got all of our gear loaded up into the the trailer and climbed aboard. Our drive quickly took us out of Boca Chica and into the capitol, Santo Domingo. We had really good views of the city as we went through, and the kids were a bit surprised by what they saw. Part modern city with advertisements for "Disney on Ice" and part shanty town, it was nothing like the cities they are used to seeing. After we passed through, the scenery changed completely as we drove through the tropical countryside. Our long drive was filled with views of donkeys and horses sharing the highway, numerous mopeds and other sights. We passed the time telling corny jokes and making even cornier puns.Most of it centered around the phrase "Snakes on a plane." Laughter and groans filled the van. The kids snacked on the enormous bag of kettle corn that we brought with us, so big that they have named it "Greg" and we also made a stop for cookies and juice. The pear juice was a big hit, so much that the kids who tried it first pretended it was awful so that the others wouldn't taste it! Finally we came to Jarabacoa and once through the town, to the dirt road up the mountain that would take us to the camp. After slowly winding up the hill, the village came into sight and then, finally, we could see the camp. So many changes! There is a church now, a real church instead of worshiping in the common room of the camp dormitory. There is also a school! What a blessing for so many children! They have room for twice the students they have, but not many children can afford the tuition, which is only $180 each year. Both facilities are new and beautiful. There is a brand new missionary couple, they arrived three days before we did.They are old friends of Fr. Marshall's from Sewanee, Dr. Laird and Rev. Mary Craig Caruthers. They have hardly had time to settle in, and here we are! They will live here at the Camp, filling a huge void, as there have not been people in residence since the Gordons returned to SC in 2003. The camp staff is the same, and it has been wonderful to see old friends Pablo, Josefina, Anna Marie and Thomasina who are taking very good care of us already. After unloading the trailer we had a tour of the campus and everyone commented on the beauty of this place. Mountains all around, the river down below, the tropical foliage, it is stunning. Finally we sat down to a hearty supper of chicken, beans & rice and macaroni salad. After supper we gathered in the common room for some down time and just talked. We ended our day with Compline and music provided by Connor and Nick. Everyone went to bed tired but happy, though the girls stayed up chatting with Molly for a long while. Molly has fit right into our group. She is a member at the Church of the Holy Communion and I already knew her from my Catechesis of the Good Shepherd course last summer. She is wonderful and we are glad to have her with us.
This morning we were awakened early by the numerous roosters that roam the camp and the neighborhood. They just seem to wander around everywhere and I have wondered how the people know which chickens belong to which people! Jonathan headed up to the kitchen as soon as the coffee was ready at 7:00. It is grown here, and is dark and very good. He was kind enough to bring some back to the dorm for some of the girls. Breakfast was at 8:00, we enjoyed ham & cheese, milk, juice, extremely fresh pineapple, watermelon, bread and peanut butter & guava jelly and my personal favorite, Dominican hot cocoa with cinnammon. After breakfast, the team began the first project. Pablo's tool shed has been continually crammed full of stuff for the last 15 years, to the point that he can't even get in it anymore. The kids got to work unloading it, while Jonathan began his list of things to fix. Ellison "helped" as much as she could. It took all morning just to get everything out, and it still needed sorting. The time was spent making jokes while working. For example Fr. Marshall was "board" while carrying out some lumber and Nick, Connor and Sam Neill were "pumped" while inflating the basketballs, and Jonathan thought it was "a drag" to pull a wheel barrow with no wheels. After a while, Ellison and I went wandering about the grounds and discovered the new playground that sits on some land that my last team cleared years ago. We met Noah and Manuel there and we played for a while. Then the two boys climbed frighteningly high in the guava tree to pick some fruit for Ellison. Their climbing ability was something to be greatly admired. Once loaded down with fruit, Ellison and I washed it and cut it into pieces for everyone to try. We are living in an amazing orchard here. In addition to the guava trees, there are oranges, avacados, bananas, coconuts, grapefruits, limes and cashews, not to mention the amazing flowers. Ellison is watching the banana tree closely, waiting for them bananas to turn yellow.
The smell of lunch teased us for a long time, until finally the bell rang. We enjoyed Domincan-style lasgana along with a platter of cailiflower, broccoli and avocado. A brief siesta followed, which was a good thing because there were some very full bellies after that lunch. It should be noted that we have enjoyed very good food on this trip. So much that one of the kids commented that he/she has had better food on the trip than they get at home. (No, i will never tell who said that.)
After siesta it was time to get back to work. A lot was accomplished, then there was a brief rain storm during which Mary Craig hosted a cookie party for us. I think that I should have warned her not to bring out any more cookies than she wanted us to eat in the one sitting, they ate nearly every cookie and I think that she might have thought it was several days worth of cookies.
At 5:00 the children from the village were invited to come and play with us. The staff children wander in and out all day, but at five about 50 kids showed up. Games of basketball, volleyball and soccer were played, hair was braided and friends were made. It was especially rewarding to me to see the now teenaged Giselle playing with Ellison. Giselle was about Ellison's age when i first met her in 1999. I have pictures of her on my lap then and again in 2003. Now I have a picture of Ellison on her lap.
When the children left at six, everyone showered and cleaned up and finally it was time for supper. We had beef cooked in a sauce that Nick described as "Tasty with a capitol T" along with rice & veggies and sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. We ate almost every bit that they served. After supper we returned to the dorm to just hang out. Compline is at 10:30, Nick, Connor and Sam-Neill to lead.
The kids are working hard, have amazingly great attitudes and are shining the light of Christ. Parents, be proud.
Yours in faith, Dorothy
